rerumasfandomcom-20200213-history
The Ones Left Behind
The Ones Left Behind ''(also known as ''Rerumas: A Ben 10 Story - Volume 1: The Ones Left Behind) is the first light novel volume of Rerumas: A Ben 10 Story. ''Rather than being a single narrative, the novel is split into three separate parts which each focus on a different character, respectively Betty Augen, Niko Yamamoto, and Lyssa. The first draft of ''The Ones Left Behind ''was completed on January 11, 2020. Back Cover Plot Part 1: Betty On March 16, 2030 - twenty-five years after the original ''Ben 10 ''series - an adult Gwen Tennyson arrives at the house of ex-Plumber Kelly Glenn, where she and her son Max are celebrating Max's tenth birthday. Gwen gives Max a present, Ben Tennyson's iconic jacket, much to Max and Kelly's shock. Telling Max that she always intended to one day pass it down to him, Gwen bids the two goodbye and leaves the house. Five years later in April, a now 15-year-old Max is called after school by Kelly to pick up a package for her at her office in their house. Max discovers a mysterious white box, which Kelly instructs him to carry twelve miles by foot to a gas station in the desert. Max reluctantly complies, and discovers that the gas station is in fact a secret entrance to an underground Plumber base, where an older Gwen greets him. Kelly arrives, and Max is greeted by 10-year-old Niko Yamamoto, Max's honorary "cousin," and his mother Julie Yamamoto. Niko, who is part-Galvanic Mechamorph (the species of Ben's alien Upgrade), demonstrates his powers to Max before he and Julie leave the base for home. Gwen and Kelly explain that Gwen is the last remaining Plumber on Earth, overseeing the whole planet as the solar system Magister. Kelly reveals that she is returning to off-world Plumber service and leaving Max in Gwen's care, taking their house with her. The two tell Max that the Earth's human population has come to reject aliens, which has put them at risk, particularly in the case of "rerumas" - hybrids like Niko born to human and alien parents. To Max's shock, Gwen reveals that the package Max brought her contains the Omnitrix, which Kelly has modified to bind to Max's DNA; the two wish for Max to don the Omnitrix and help Gwen protect rerumas. Max, overwhelmed, rushes out of the room. He is later found by Kelly, who, reminding him that he is named after Max Tennyson, encourages him to give the Omnitrix a chance and to believe in himself, before taking her leave. The next morning, Gwen tells Max about Betty Augen, a 14-year-old middle school student who has recently stopped attending school. Gwen suspects that Betty is a reruma whose alien traits have only recently manifested; while she has attempted to contact Betty's parents and even sent Betty an ID mask, she has heard no response. Gwen then tells Max about the Plumbers' Helpers, a team of rerumas disbanded decades ago, and Max realizes that Gwen wishes to reform the Helpers under Max's leadership, and recruit Betty into the team. Wanting to meet Betty and remembering his younger days fantasizing about turning into Ben's aliens, Max forces himself to put on the Omnitrix. A few days later, Max goes to visit Betty, and is greeted by Clark and Janice Augen, Betty's parents, who mistake him for a student council member. After Betty appears, Max reveals that he was sent by Gwen Tennyson. Betty's parents, outraged and expressing hatred toward aliens, order Max to leave the house. On Gwen's suggestion, Max returns to the Augen house that night and sneaks into Betty's room, where he greets her and talks to her about her circumstances, learning that her parents won't let her leave her room. Max asks to meet Betty later, and the two agree to go out together when Betty's parents are at the school. When the day arrives, Max takes Betty to Mr. Smoothy, where he explains to her why Gwen sent him and what Betty is. They bond after discovering that they share the same birthday, and Max admits that he wants to become Betty's friend, which encourages her to begin opening up to him. The two visit the zoo, after which Betty finally takes off her ID mask, revealing herself as an Opticoid, the species of Ben's alien Eye Guy. Betty calls herself a monster, prompting Max to turn into Heatblast to show Betty that how she looks doesn't matter. Finally trusting Max, Betty embraces him in his human form. The two return to Betty's house, where they find Clark and Janice waiting. Clark attempts to attack Max for "kidnapping" Betty, but Gwen appears and intervenes. When Max accuses Clark of mistreating Betty, he tries to attack him again, but Betty uses her powers to protect Max. Clark tells Betty she will never be accepted if he defies her, but Max tells Betty he'll always be by her side. Clark, defeated, tells Betty to leave and not come back. Gwen takes Max and Betty back to the Plumber headquarters; while Max feels he has ruined Betty's life, Betty tells him that he has finally given her hope again. Max begins to feel a bit more comfortable in his role as the wielder of the Omnitrix. Part 2: Niko The day after the incident with Betty, Max greets her and Gwen in the Plumber HQ communications center, with Betty wearing a new outfit given to her by Gwen. Max gives Betty a tour of the HQ, during which he tells her the history of the Plumbers. Upon returning to the comms center, the two encounter Niko, who will be spending the weekend with them while Julie goes on a business trip to France. Niko excitedly asks Max to use the Omnitrix and takes an interest in Betty; when Gwen tells Niko about the Plumbers' Helpers, Niko excitedly asks Julie if he can join. Julie, however, flatly refuses, passive-aggressively hinting that she would not trust Gwen to protect him. Niko, upset, yells at his mother and runs off, and Julie leaves for France. That night, Max is awoken by an explosion and finds Niko in a trance-like state, who uses his powers to flee the base. Minutes later, an outraged Julie returns after hearing about the incident and demands to know what happened to Niko. Gwen suspects that Niko may have had his Mechamorph "software" seized by an artificial virus, and sends Max and Betty in Kevin Levin's car to follow Niko's DNA signature to an abandoned amusement pier. At the pier, Max transforms into Diamondhead to subdue Niko, but is defeated, and Niko flees. As Max and Betty pursue Niko, Gwen and Julie call, and Gwen tells Max about Ship - a Mechamorph symbiote given to Ben twenty-five years prior, whom Julie adopted as a pet. Max and Betty intercept Niko attacking a truck driver on the highway; Max uses Goop in an attempt to immobilize Niko, but Niko once again escapes. At this point, Gwen and Julie arrive by car and tell the duo that Niko is heading for the crash site where Ship was born. During the drive to the crash site, Gwen and Julie reveal the truth of Niko's origins. Niko was once Ship, but during a catastrophic war sixteen years ago (the same war that resulted in the near-total destruction of the Plumbers), he was injured on a genetic level and rendered comatose. Julie blamed Ben for Ship's injury as Ben was the one who requested Ship's aid, but just weeks later, Ben himself was killed in the conflict. Over the years, Ship repaired his damaged DNA by emulating the DNA of Julie, resulting in him transforming into her "son," Niko, roughly ten years ago. Gwen says that Niko is experiencing his memories as Ship and losing control of his powers as a result; if he isn't rescued soon, he will explode. The group intercepts Niko at the crash site, where Niko transforms into a huge spaceship and flies off. Max, as Big Chill, uses a computer chip given to him by Gwen to revert Niko to his human form. After Gwen and Julie explain Niko's origins, Max points out that Niko can't be an exact clone of Julie because he's a boy, and they aren't identical. Niko mentions that he was told his father was a Plumber who died in the war, and asks if it was a lie. The next day, the group goes to a cemetery where Ben is buried, and the truth is revealed; Niko emulated the DNA of both Ben and Julie, making him their biological son. Wanting to honor his father's memory, Niko once again asks Julie to let him join the Helpers. Julie, her faith in Gwen and Max renewed, agrees, and Max welcomes Niko to the team. Part 3: Lyssa Seven years ago in 2028, a mysterious man and his soldiers hear from a local diner that an alien is lurking near Industry Boulevard in Bellwood. Reaching the area, the man finds a six-year-old reruma child in an alleyway. Telling the child that he will show her her place, the man kidnaps her. In the present day, two weeks after Niko's transformation, the Plumbers' Helpers visit the headquarters of the Cygnus Foundation, a charity group that builds shelters for alien refugees on Earth. Jonathan Darling, the regional director of the Foundation, tells them that he requested the aid of the Plumbers due to a threat to one of their shelters. Visiting the shelter, the Helpers are met with a huge group of aliens who amiably greet them. Jonathan tells the Helpers about how the Foundation has been protecting aliens for years, but that they have struggled due to being targeted by anti-alien hate groups. Minutes later, the shelter is suddenly attacked by armed militants; the Helpers intervene to protect the aliens, with Max transforming into Spidermonkey to fight. While Betty and Niko defeat the militants, Max is matched by a mysterious reruma girl with catlike ears and extraordinary strength. Not having expected resistance, the militants flee with the girl. Jonathan tells the Helpers that the militants belonged to the Planetary Freedom Force (PFF), a nationwide network of militias devoted to purging the Earth of aliens. The Helpers contact Gwen, who tells them about the leader of the PFF, Hunter Cain, an ex-U.S. Army soldier who has specifically targeted the Cygnus Foundation. Gwen theorizes that the reruma girl is part-Appoplexian and that Cain has enslaved her against her will, turning her into a living weapon. Max wishes to save the girl, but Gwen insists that he focus on protecting the aliens at the shelter. That evening, Max talks to Betty about how he feels out of place at the shelter, but Betty encourages him by telling him he belongs among the aliens. Max mentions aloud that he wants to help the reruma girl; the reruma girl, spying on him, overhears this. The next day, Cain himself appears and tells Max that the aliens at the shelter have 24 hours to leave the Earth before the PFF attacks. That night, Max spots the reruma girl on a rooftop and chases her as Big Chill, trying to talk to her. The two fight before coming to a stalemate, and Max reverts to his human form, telling the girl he wants to help her. The girl accuses him of lying, saying all humans are liars and saying that Max only wants to hurt her. Max promises to never hurt her, but she flees. The girl returns to the PFF's compound and is confronted by Cain, who reveals he knew about her sneaking out at night. Addressing the girl as Lyssa, Cain warns her of the consequences of defying him, and orders her to kill Max during the attack tomorrow. The next day, the PFF assaults the shelter, and Max turns into Diamondhead to fight Cain, but is attacked by Lyssa. Betty and Niko defeat the PFF but are knocked unconscious by Cain. Cain taunts Max, saying the only way for him to rescue the aliens at the shelter is to kill him and Lyssa. Max, instead, reverts to his human form and kneels, telling Lyssa he refuses to hurt her. Lyssa, shocked, tries to attack Max but finds herself unable to. Cain tries to punish Lyssa, but Max turns into Heatblast and repels him. Together, Lyssa and Max fight Cain until Max burns part of Cain's face, forcing Cain to flee. The PFF attempts to follow him, but the police suddenly arrive, summoned by Gwen, and arrest the militants. Max approaches Lyssa and invites her to come with him to the Plumber HQ. At HQ, Gwen tells Lyssa that she can join the Helpers and live at the base if she wishes; Lyssa agrees. Max laments to Gwen his choosing Lyssa over the aliens, believing his choice to have been a huge risk, but Gwen respects his decision and commends his unwillingness to sacrifice her life. Max turns around and sees his three teammates looking up to him, and smiles. In an epilogue, Hunter Cain meets a U.S. government official, Pennington, who gives Cain a new task in order to win back the PFF's favor for support from the Department of Defense. The two are eavesdropped on by a mysterious white-haired boy, who expresses excitement about the Plumbers' Helpers and believes that rerumas are rebelling against humanity's tyrrany. Noteworthy Events Major Events * Kelly Glenn leaves Earth and returns to active Plumber service. * Max Glenn is given the Omnitrix, and the Plumbers' Helpers are reformed. * Betty Augen, Niko Yamamoto, and Lyssa join the Plumbers' Helpers. * Betty leaves home. * Niko learns his true origins. * Lyssa betrays Hunter Cain and leaves the Planetary Freedom Force. Minor Events * Gwen gives Max the jacket of Ben Tennyson. * Max, Betty, and Lyssa begin living at the Plumber HQ. * Betty reveals her true form to Max, and begins to trust him. * Max, Betty, and Niko learn about the Twilight War and Ben Tennyson's death. * The Plumbers and the Cygnus Foundation begin an allegiance. * Jonathan Darling becomes a contact of the Plumbers' Helpers. * Lyssa forges an Appoplexian imprint on Max. * A large number of PFF militants are arrested. * Pennington sends Hunter Cain to attack Moonlight, Montana. * Zach Shiyurei becomes aware of the Plumbers' Helpers. Character Debuts (in order of appearance) * Max Glenn * Kelly Glenn * Gwen Tennyson * Niko Yamamoto * Julie Yamamoto * Betty Augen * Janice Augen * Clark Augen * Hunter Cain * Lyssa * Jonathan Darling * Zach Shiyurei Characters Main Characters * Max Glenn * Gwen Tennyson * Kelly Glenn * Betty Augen * Niko Yamamoto * Julie Yamamoto * Lyssa Secondary Characters * Clark Augen * Janice Augen * Jonathan Darling * Ben Tennyson (''mentioned) Villains * Hunter Cain * Planetary Freedom Force Minor Characters * Zach Shiyurei * Pennington * Qty * Tutu Girl * Max Tennyson (mentioned) * Kevin Levin (mentioned) * Helen Wheels (mentioned) * Cooper Daniels (mentioned) Aliens Used * Heatblast (x2) * Diamondhead (x2) * Goop * Big Chill (x2) * Spidermonkey Trivia * The Ones Left Behind ''borrows heavily from shorter story drafts written for ''Rerumas: A Ben 10 Story. "Part 1: Betty" is based on a pilot episode "Wake Up" written for Hereditarium (the working title for Rerumas) in March 2018. This pilot episode was renamed "The Ones Left Behind" and rewritten for ''Rerumas ''in September 2018; the final print of the light novel borrowed directly from this draft. "Part 3: Lyssa" was based on a draft for an episode entitled "I Won't Hurt You," written in December 2018. Illustrations Rerumas V1 Cover (Front) - no name.png|Cover artwork Betty LN 1 - book.png|Part 1: Betty Niko LN 1 - book.png|Part 2: Niko Lyssa LN 1 - book.png|Part 3: Lyssa Category:Light Novel Volumes